Weekend Update 11-15-09

[Philip H]

Ah here we are on a Sunny Sunday (In MD anyway) - what did you do this week to avoid going outside?

Me, after competing in the Railwire Critter Building Challenge, I started working on this INtermountain N scale Kit of a 50ft double door box kcs boxcarL

[DKS]

Outside of participating in the critter modeling challenge, I've been preparing for the open house next weekend. I made one of two control panels and wired it up to run the train, then went to work finishing up as much scenery as I possibly can, which so far has involved planting 40 trees. Here are most of them in one shot:
 

[conrail98]

Visited 10 layouts yesterday as part of the November open house month. The site is http://www.modelrropenhouse.com/,

Phil

[TrainCat2]

Built and painted a final version of the Auto Carrier.

[Philip H]

Bob,
That carrier is SWEET!  IS tha the N scale version?

[up1950s]

And whats the earliest date for that rig ?

[Erik W]

I worked on a couple more little projects this week.


This is the newest locomotive on my roster, an Atlas RS-3.  It’s weathered and ready to go to work.  It’s seen here on a caboose hop in Denver’s Burnham Yard.

I wasn’t happy with an area about a foot long on my backdrop, in the mountains to city transition location.  Having the blue sky come all the way down to the unobstructed flat scenery didn’t look right to me.  I painted a distant hill with some patches of trees on the backdrop and added a Bar Mills fence with a couple distant buildings from Detail Associates printed backdrops.  I then added more vegetation to try to better blend this area.  All the work was done on or within ½” of the backdrop.  I think it’s a definite improvement.


Here it is before.


And after.


A close up.

Erik

[CNWlivesinme]

Managed to get the flu, so I am stuck at home for three days bored out of my mind.

I am going to get started planning an L shaped switching layout, based on the Rio Grande system in the early 1980's. The short side will be 2' deep by 5' long, and the other side 2' deep by 6' long.

I still need to narrow down the locale, and start planning a roster from scratch.

I am excited.

As always, the work I see here is a huge motivator and I am perpetually jealous.

[davefoxx]

I started roughing in some landforms on the "peanut" while waiting for the paint to dry in the powder room that I'm presently remodeling in my townhome.  You may be able to make out the remnants of two parallel black lines meandering across the layout, which are the outline for a planned road that will cross over the tracks at left on a bridge and then fall to track level at the right end.  I have no idea what industries that I'm going to build, because I'm just making this up as I go.

Total so far is approximately $16.00 for one right hand Atlas Code 55 turnout and a piece of 1" foam for some of the hills.  Everything else was scavenged from leftovers.  I'm guessing, but I think it only weighs three or four pounds!



Well, enough procrastination, I suppose.  Now, I'm waiting for the Foam Putty to dry before I can finish the contouring of the landform, so it's back to the bathroom where I've got to reinstall a toilet and put a coat of paint on the bathroom door.

Have a great week, all!
Dave Foxx

[NorfolkSouthern9708]

davefoxx,
     It doesn't look like there's much room for industries, how do you plan on modeling them?

[up1950s]

I started roughing in some landforms on the "peanut" while waiting for the paint to dry in the powder room that I'm presently remodeling in my townhome.  You may be able to make out the remnants of two parallel black lines meandering across the layout, which are the outline for a planned road that will cross over the tracks at left on a bridge and then fall to track level at the right end.  I have no idea what industries that I'm going to build, because I'm just making this up as I go.

Total so far is approximately $16.00 for one right hand Atlas Code 55 turnout and a piece of 1" foam for some of the hills.  Everything else was scavenged from leftovers.  I'm guessing, but I think it only weighs three or four pounds!



Well, enough procrastination, I suppose.  Now, I'm waiting for the Foam Putty to dry before I can finish the contouring of the landform, so it's back to the bathroom where I've got to reinstall a toilet and put a coat of paint on the bathroom door.

Have a great week, all!
Dave Foxx

Coming along nicely Dave . I would have extended a track or even 2 to the edge of the world ( table edge ) to give the illusion that the layout was part of a bigger trackage plan , and you are focusing in on only one area  . You gain some switching moves in the process for free .

[davefoxx]

davefoxx,
     It doesn't look like there's much room for industries, how do you plan on modeling them?

Like nature, I have never hesitated to rough in the scenery and then later "bulldoze" as necessary to make room for buildings.  It's only a foam subbase, so it's very easy to cut out or add foam when making alterations to the landforms.  Also, I don't necessarily want buildings to sit on perfectly level ground, so I'm not concerned at this point.  I'll allow the foundations of the structures to level the buildings on any uneven ground.

Thanks for asking,
Dave

[davefoxx]

Coming along nicely Dave . I would have extended a track or even 2 to the edge of the world ( table edge ) to give the illusion that the layout was part of a bigger trackage plan , and you are focusing in on only one area  . You gain some switching moves in the process for free .

Richie,

I basically used what track I had in the parts bin but admit that I later broke down and bought a right hand turnout, because I didn't like how a left hand turnout I did have fit into the plan.  I'm trying to build this as inexpensively as possible.  By that point, I had already installed the main, with easements and superelevation, so it would have been difficult to tie a turnout into the track plan for an interchange.  You're right, though, an interchange would add a nice "industry" to switch, allowing the interchange of almost any type of freight car.  But, it's okay, I only built this for fun (to practice scenery and to be able to run an occasional train), so I'm not concerned with any serious design flaws.  Hopefully, I'll be building a more reasonable size layout in the next few years, when my fiancee and I buy our next home after we're married.

Thanks,
Dave

[wm3798]

Put a candle in the middle!

[davefoxx]

Put a candle in the middle!

Hahahahahahahaha! Actually, it doesn't generally reside on my dining room table.  That was just the easiest place to set it up for a picture, since I was able to take advantage of natural light through the sliding glass door.  In fact, it's now "baking" on the floor in the sunlight by the sliding glass door, which is helping dry the Foam Putty.

By the way, can you believe it?!  It's actually sunny here for the first time in almost a week.  Glad that nor'easter is finally gone!

DFF